Hydromassaging bathing tub with adjustable elevated seat

ABSTRACT

A hydromassaging bathing tub is provided with jets disposed at various locations about side walls thereof. At least some of these jets are oriented to generate massaging water flows over a bottom wall of the bathing tub. A seat is secured between opposed ones of the side walls of the tub whereby to support the buttocks of a bather seated thereon at an elevated position over the bottom wall whereby the massaging water flows which are directed over the bottom wall will massage the bather from underneath portions of its body.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to hydromassaging bathing tubs and whereina seat is adjustably and removably secured between opposed side walls ofthe tub whereby to support a bather elevated from a bottom wall of thebathtub so that the bather is subjected to massaging water flow fromunderneath portions of its body.

BACKGROUND ART

There are a multitude of hydromassaging bathing tubs which are providedwith water or air jets which are orientable to direct a massaging waterflow upon a bather's body which is seated on the bottom wall of thebathing tub. Other bathing tub designs provide for seats to beintegrally molded in the side walls of the bathing tub and defining aseated surface elevated from the bottom wall of the tub. Because theseseats are molded with the side walls, they have no space under itsseated surface and its intended purpose is merely for comfort. It hasbeen found that with all of these hydromassaging bathing tub designs,the portions of the body of a person which are massaged by the water orair jets are primarily the legs and the back portion. There is noprovision for massaging the buttocks of the bathing person as the personis usually seated on large flat wall potion of the bathtub.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a hydromassagingbathing tub wherein a seat is adjustably and removably secured betweenopposed side walls of the bathing tub to support a bather elevated overa bottom wall of the bathtub to provide massaging water flows underneathportions of the its body and particularly under its buttocks.

According to the above feature, from a broad aspect, the presentinvention provides a hydromassaging bathing tub with jets disposed atvarious locations about side walls thereof. At least some of these jetsare oriented to generate massaging water flows over a bottom wall of thebathing tub. A seat is secured between opposed ones of the side walls ofthe tub whereby to support the buttocks of a bather seated thereon at anelevated position over the bottom wall whereby the massaging water flowswhich are directed over the bottom wall will massage the buttocks andother portions of its body from underneath.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side section view showing a hydromassaging bathing tubconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the bather in a moreelongated seated or lying position with the support seat having beendisplaced to a more forward portion along elongated slots havingretention grooves therein for securing the seat at a desirable position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the construction of the seat;

FIG. 4 is a fragmented perspective view showing the construction of theretention grooves disposed in a lower edge of the elongated recessedslots; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmented section view showing the seat supported by theretention grooves in the slots.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there isshown generally at 10 a hydromassaging bathing tub constructed inaccordance with the present invention. As hereinshown the bathing tub isprovided with opposed side walls 11, a first end wall 12 and a secondend wall 13. The bath tub has a bottom wall 14 and an open top end 15. Aplurality of air or water jets 15 are secured in the side wall and endwalls of the bathing tub as is necessary. Some of these jets such asthose shown at 15′ are oriented to generate massaging water flows overthe bottom wall 14 of the bathing tub. The bottom wall may have a ledge13″ adjacent a seat portion 14′ in which jets 15″ may be disposed.

The improvement in the bathing tub of the present invention is theprovision of a seat 17 which is secured between the opposed side walls11, one only shown herein due to the cross-section illustration, wherebyto support the bather 16 at an elevated position over the bottom wall 14whereby massaging water flows from the jets 15′ or 15″, which aredirected on or close to the bottom wall 14, will massage the bather fromunderneath portions of its body such as its buttock portion 16′ andlower back portion 16″, as shown in FIG. 2.

With additional reference now to FIGS. 2 to 5, and more particularly toFIG. 3, it can be seen that the seat is provided with securement means18 projecting from opposed side edges 17′ of the seat. Morespecifically, a support flange 19 is secured to the seat adjacent theside edges 17′ and projects thereabove. A pair of support pins 20 aresecured to the flange and are spaced apart whereby to be received in apair of retention grooves 21 formed integral in a lower edge of anelongated recessed slot 22 formed integral in the opposed side walls 11of the bathing tub.

As shown in FIG. 4, there is provided a series of axially alignedretention grooves and they are configured to receive the support pins 20which project from opposed ends of the seat. Therefore, the seat isadjusted at any convenient location along the opposed slots which arealigned with one another in facial relationship in a common horizontalplane.

It can be seen from FIG. 1 that when the seat is positioned closest tothe end wall 12, the back wall of the bathing tub, that the bather 16 isseated more erect into the bathing tub but elevated from the bottomwall. As the seat is moved more forward, as illustrated in FIG. 2, thebather 16 assumes a more stretched out lying position. The seat 17 isalso provided with elongated openings 25 to permit the passage ofportions of the massaging water flows to impinge upon the buttocks ofthe bather sitting on the top surface of the seat. This seat is moldedfrom plastics material. Also, it can be seen that the retention pins 20are disposed in different horizontal planes from one another whereby theseat, when engaged in the retention grooves, assumes a rearward angle asis the back wall to provide comfort. The slots with the retentiongrooves are also disposed closer to the first end wall 12, namely theback wall.

As is also shown, another feature of this bathing tub is that it isprovided in the second end wall 13 with at least two feet positioningmeans in the form of ridge formations 26. There are three ridgeformations 26 illustrated in this embodiment and these are formedintegrally with the end wall 13. These ridge formations 26 providehorizontal support ledges 27 as well as abutment wall portions 28 forthe feet of the bather 16. Accordingly, the bather can seat himself atany desired position by displacing the seat along the slots and wedgehimself in the bathing tub by its feet thereby immobilizing himself inthe bathing tub at a desired position to obtain a massaging treatment bythe massaging water flows adjacent the bottom wall of the bathing tuband particularly on his buttocks 16″ and lower back portion 16″ aspreviously described.

It is pointed out that when the seat is not utilized the bathing tub issubstantially a conventional tub with the bather sitting on the rear endseat portion 14′ of the bottom wall 14 but can still use the ridgeformation as feet support, if so desired. This prevents the bather fromslipping on the bottom wall 14, particularly when bathing oil is addedto the water. To remove the seat, as shown in FIG. 5, the seat is liftedwhereby to lift the support pins 20 from the retention grooves 21. Theseat is then angled side ways for ease of removal from the opposedslots.

It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obviousmodifications of the preferred embodiment described herein, providedsuch modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A hydromassaging bathing tub having jets disposed at variouslocations about side walls of said bathing tub, at least some of saidjets being oriented to generate massaging water flow over a bottom wallof said bathing tub, and a seat secured between opposed ones of saidside walls whereby to support the buttocks of a bather seated thereon atan elevated position over said bottom wall whereby said massaging waterflows directed over said bottom wall will massage said buttocks andother portions of its body from underneath.
 2. A hydromassaging bathingtub as claimed in claim 1 wherein said seat is provided with securementmeans to adjustably position same in said bathing tub.
 3. Ahydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 2 wherein said opposedones of said side walls are each provided with seat retention meansaligned with one another in facial relationship in a common horizontalplane.
 4. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 3 whereinsaid seat retention means is formed integral with said side walls andcomprised by an elongated slot having a series of axially alignedgrooves, said grooves being configured to receive a support pinprojecting from opposed ends of said seat.
 5. A hydromassaging bathingtub as claimed in claim 4 wherein said series of axially aligned groovesare disposed in a lower edge of said elongated slot formed in each ofsaid opposed ones of said side walls.
 6. A hydromassaging bathing tub asclaimed in claim 2 wherein said securement means is constituted by oneor more support pins secured to said seat and projecting outwardly ofopposed sides of said seat, said pins being disposed in selected ones ofretention grooves formed in opposed side walls of said bathing tub.
 7. Ahydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 6 wherein said seat is arectangular seat having opposed side edges, a support flange secured toeach said side edges and projecting above a top seating surface of saidseat, there being a pair of said support pins secured to an upper regionof each said support flanges and disposed spaced apart along an axisparallel to said top seating surfaces, said pair of pins being spacedapart a predetermined distance to be removably retrieved in two spacedapart ones of said retention grooves.
 8. A hydromassaging bathing tub asclaimed in claim 7 wherein said seat is provided with one or moreelongated openings therein for the passage of portions of said massagingwater flows.
 9. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 1wherein said seat retention means in said opposed ones of said sidewalls are disposed adjacent one end of said bathing tub, the other endof said bathing tub being provided with at least two feet positioningmeans.
 10. A hydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 9 whereinsaid feet positioning means is provided by two or more ridge formationsformed integrally with said other end of said bathing tub, said ridgesproviding horizontal support ledges for the feet of a bather.
 11. Ahydromassaging bathing tub as claimed in claim 10 wherein said one endof said bathing tub provides a backrest support for a bather, said seatproviding elevated support of the buttocks of said bather whereby saidbather is disposed in a body of water supported elevated over saidbottom wall.